Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has decided to allow a grace period of three months to the beneficiaries of the public distribution system (PDS) who are yet to complete e-KYC of their ration cards.
The grace period has been granted to enable many cardholders to complete the process as e-KYC is mandatory for availing ration at subsidised rate, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra told reporters on Tuesday.
He said the ration cards of over 20.58 lakh beneficiaries across the state have been suspended temporarily due to non-compliance with the e-KYC requirement.
Stating that the ration cards of these beneficiaries will remain temporarily suspended during this grace period, the Minister said the cardholders have to complete their e-KYC within the next three months to retain their entitlement to subsidised food grains.
Failure to complete the process will lead to permanent deactivation and cancellation of their ration cards, said Patra.
The state government has urged the beneficiaries to complete the verification process during the period to avoid permanent loss of benefits.